I spent the weekend doing what I called “spring cleaning” though we’re deep into summer here in New Delhi. It just felt like what a “main character” from a movie would do. I finally got to sorting through some of the shoes that I wear regularly. Weirdly, I get sentimentally attached to some clothes and shoes and find it impossible to throw them or give them away no matter what the condition and usage I get out of them. So my goal for this “spring cleaning” was to set aside all the shoes that I haven’t worn in the last 6 months and decide what to do with them.
The 4 buckets I divided my shoes into –
- Keep – shoes I wear regularly and ones that I had forgotten about because my shoes were stored in different places. Also, shoes that I hadn’t worn because they were dirty and I just hadn’t gotten down to cleaning them.
- Repair – I love some shoes that are now in a bad condition after excessive use but I just can’t throw them away. These mostly include branded shoes that I think can be salvaged either by my local cobbler or a brand like Murtle. I recently discovered Murtle on Instagram. How their brand works is that you can send in any of your old shoes and they will revamp them for you. This is a great way to ensure that the shoes’ life is extended.
- Give it to my mum/sister – My mum is the same shoe size as me and my sister is a size up. So we end up exchanging shoes with each other.
- Donate – This was definitely the largest pile from my cleaning session. I set aside 20 pairs to be donated. Before you start wondering how – I’ve had shoes stored in my parent’s home collected over the last 10 years. I finally decided to stop hoarding them and gave them away.
I have to say it is always VERY difficult for me to get rid of stuff just because I have attachment issues. Even though I know they are just shoes – any back story related to them makes me not want to give them away even if I am not using them. And as much as I loved reading about Marie Kondo’s tidying up technique – any material possession with a back story sparks joy in me! So my rule is that anything not used for 6 months either finds use immediately or is given away.
I am working towards a more minimalist wardrobe. (But that doesn’t mean that I won’t be using up the stuff I already have.) How often do you go through your wardrobe? Do you think a minimalist wardrobe works for you?
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I definitely need to try and get spring cleaning too, I usually do it in the Summer! It’s hard for me though, because I have attachment issues too and my reasoning is – I’ll use it at some point! Haha gotta get better at that!
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Sameeee, sister. I keep convincing myself of situations where I could end up using them and eventually I never end up using them.
I try to thank and say goodbye to each piece (Mary Kondo style) just to break that attachment bond.
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I love that you’re doing this! I tend to do things a bit differently. I might go through things once a year and pull out things to donate. And I use a similar rule, if I haven’t worn it all year, it’s prob time to go. However if I love it sometimes I still hold on. I also try to donate one item for every new item I bring in, so I don’t just keep adding and adding. This was a fun post, I’m all for letting go of all things no longer right for us 🙂
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Yess. But it is so hard to give these things up. 😛
Love your process – especially giving away one piece for every new piece you buy.
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Since we have very distinct wardrobes for cold weather and hot weather here, when it comes time to pack away one set and take out the other, I go through this process for each set.
I buy on clearance and from local thrift or consignment stores so my process consists of filling a give away bag of things. Since I have found new things I love more, I can give things which I don’t love as much, doesn’t fit so well anymore or may have shrunk in the wash.
I make sure that I fold everything when I put it into the bag so it doesn’t turn into a pile of rags but will look nice if the store doesn’t get around to unpacking my bag for a week or two.
Shopping and giving this way is a great way to reduce one’s carbon footprint!
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Definitely. Love your process – it totally makes sense. I have been hoarding for years and now slowly clearing out my wardrobe. But hereafter, I’m going to be very conscious of what gets added to my wardrobe.
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Lol! Right?! That’s what I promise myself too, but I still purchase things I don’t really wear! At least now I have a method of weeding things out! I now have a large plastic bag in my car trunk which I need to drop of at the consignment store to see what they’ll take, and donate the rest! Been there for over a week, but with the price of gas I’m trying to group my errands… I think I may make it out to the store this week…!
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Oh can I relate to this. Sounds like you have a good strategy in place.
I’m currently doing clean-out number 3, which is a ruthless paring down of clothing/shoes that I will pack in 2 suitcases to take when I move to Portugal. Anything not in the 2 suitcases goes to charity. I’ve already gotten rid of more than half of my stuff as of last year, so this cut is very tough. I wrote a draft post about my ruthless slashing of clothing, possessions, photos, and mementos. I needed a wine break after just writing about it 🤪.
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Woah!!! How did you even manage to do that? Kudos!!!! Looking forward to reading that post!!
As much as I love owning a lot of stuff – I am slowly gravitating towards a more minimalist lifestyle.
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I agree with you about attachment to things. I’ll tell you one thing that’s helped. I moved from a three bedroom house to a small, one bedroom apartment where I live with my Mum (and soon my Dad will be here too) so I really had to downsize. I do feel good about the fresh start though. There are a couple dresses I couldn’t part with though, which is fine
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That’s great! I moved back to my parent’s home in 2020 and gave away 50% of my wardrobe during that move but totally forgot about the crazy wardrobe I already had at their place. (I had a shopping problem for a few years.) So now I’m slowly going through it all to use or give away. Hopefully I’ll end up with a downsized and pratical, minimal wardrobe.
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All the best with that!
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This is probably a guy thing, but I used to go clothes shopping only once a year with my wife. She knows that I have about two hours of tolerance for that before I’m done. She pays way more attention to fashion than I do. Give me a t-shirt and jeans, and you’ve pretty much covered 80% of my wardrobe.
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Hahah! I think millennials and thereafter (the Tik-Tok generation)- guys spend as much time and attention on fashion as women!
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You got some plenty of shoes going on!! And agree with you, old shoes are way more comfortable and you feel more confident in them than on new shoes…
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I have a pair of converse that are falling apart but they are so comfortable that I don’t want to get rid of them. At this point, I feel they are part of my personality.
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I feel you….I understand you 🤣🤣🤣.
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I have such a hard time letting things go too and I really need to do some “spring cleaning” of my own. Glad you were able to get rid of some things and donate them to someone who may need them more.
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I love clothes and shoes so I probably won’t be a minimalist in that area of my life. That said, I try to take care of my clothing and shoes so that they last longer so they tend to last me for years. I also have problems getting rid of my stuff, it is a struggle to declutter so Im working on that.
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Same. Decluttering was the bane of my life. Have you heard of Marie Kondo and her tidying techniques? They actually helped me to an extent. Especially with breaking ties with pieces that I felt emotionally connected with.
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Yes, Ive seen her series and she has some interesting concepts. What Ive found that helps me is decluttering in sections. I get overwhelmed when I try to declutter everything at once. So now it takes longer for me to finish decluttering but is less stressful. I also create systems when I declutter so that it stays tidy for longer.
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I. am. same. I have attachment issues to things too! Especially with clothes, I always think, “Oh I will wear that again or I will fit into that again, or OMG what if at some point someone has a stripes-only themed party and I need to wear all stripes and I throw this out and won’t have anything to wear and will have to buy something just to wear to this rare occasion”)! Yea… totally unrealistic LOL… when was the last time I went through my closet? Hmm maybe 3 years ago when we first renovated our walk-in closet to have a custom built-in installed LOL… oy I know I have so much to donate (I just make a conscious choice not to contribute as much to fast fashion as I used to)!
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Sameeee. I convince myself so much that I might need that outfit for such and such ocassion. I have a silver sequined dress from 4 years back that I haven’t even cut the tag off of and yet I can’t get myself to even just give it to a friend. I’m pretty sure I’m never wearing a sequined dress anywhere (maybe if I get invited to the MET Gala *sigh* maybe I will?). But I’ve moved away from fast fashion even though I miss H&M with all my heart. It’s better for the planet.
Yesss to donating – Good Will is awaiting.
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Now that you say this, I have quite a lot of shoes which I have kept simply because I love them and I just can’t let them go. I’m going to take them to be revamped because I still love them. Almost every spring I do release more most of my old clothes shoes amd give them away.
Great gesture right there
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Same! I have a few pairs that are in such bad shape but I just can’t let go. Hopefully after getting them revamped, they’ll be useful again other than jus lying in my shoe rack. 🙈
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I have this issue with clothes! My mum finally gave me a good lecture a few months back before I moved to a new apartment to let go all my clothes that just does not look good on me any longer. Yes, they do still fit, but the design is fit for early twenties look. I am already early 30s. She told me to get my act together and invest a little for new sets of clothes.
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